Long before chef was my full-time profession, I was an experimental baker. As a kid, I would try to update favorite recipes with different spins or small additions to enhance already well-loved treats. I am certain some of my experiments went horribly wrong.

These days, with a culinary degree and years as a pastry chef under my belt, I am pleased to say most of my trial runs often require no tinkering and quickly make it into the recipe collection. Though it took me years to create my vision of the perfect chocolate chip cookie, an impulse decision to add sea salt needed no revision and was annotated on my cookie recipe immediately.

These cookies are crispy on the outside, cakey on the inside and studded with huge chocolate chunks. A generous sprinkle of flaked sea salt makes already excellent cookies impossible to resist. They are my most requested item from catering clients, friends and family.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars, until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, salt and eggs. Mix until fully incorporated. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chunks.

Scoop the dough into golfball-sized portions and place them 3 inches apart on a sheet tray. Sprinkle the tops with flaked sea salt. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.